Grasshopper is a relatively new but leading mobile-focus virtual phone system, with a full feature suite targeted for personal phones, business phones and portable devices. Unlike most of the legacy PBX replacement solutions on this list, they don’t require a pre-configured phone, since they are a standalone inbound call handling solution. It also allows for a rare kind of freedom where entrepreneurs, solo business ventures, start-ups, and small business owners can access their personal and business calls from a single device and yet, maintain the separation.
RingCentral on the other hand is one of the oldest and largest cloud-based communications providers in the world. Despite being older they certainly have not fallen behind in regards to technology and are on the forefront of innovation when it comes to communications solutions for businesses. They offer affordable pricing and ultimate flexibility to meet the need of nearly any business worldwide and best in industry customer service.
Grasshopper vs RingCentral
Key Features from Grasshopper
- Call management – Grasshopper handles almost all of the call handling features you have come to expect of VoIP services. Call forwarding, blocking, caller ID, transfer, toll free number, auto-receptionist, and international calling options are all well tackled. In addition you have voicemail to email options. Since their features are tiered by the size/ type of business instead of number of users, it makes it easier to pick your bundle.
- Mobile-focus – Being a mobile-focus virtual PBX option, their mobile app and softphone features are comparable with the best in the business, allowing you to professionally handle your business calls even on your personal phone, and while you’re on the move!
- Support – Grasshopper’s phone support is perhaps the only one which matches up to RingCentral and Nextiva for being truly 24/7 and US based.
Comparing Grasshopper with RingCentral
| Grasshopper | RingCentral | |
| Pricing plans | 30-day Money back guarantee Pay as you Grow – $12/mo (+ 6c/min) Standard – $24/mo (500 minutes) Premium – $49/mo (2,000 minutes) Enterprise – $199/mo (10,000 minutes) Month-to-month subscription onlyTrue 800 toll-free numbers ($15) and number porting ($30 per transfer) have additional charges. | Free Trial Essential – $19.99/mo (1,00 minutes) Standard – $24.99/mo (1,000 minutes) Premium – $34.99/mo (2,500 minutes) Enterprise – $44.99/mo (10,000 minutes) Yearly plan saves 33% on monthly subscription True 800 toll-free numbers and number porting is free (included) for plans that are Standard and above. |
| Features (basic) | Call routing, transfer, and Do Not Disturb mode Caller ID/Screening Fax support (only inbound) Conference calling International calls Mobile app Toll-free number Softphone | API support Call routing, transfer, and Do Not Disturb mode Call announce, Call screening, Call hold Internet fax (both inbound and outbound) Role-based access Multi-level auto-attendant, on-hold music Unlimited video conferencing (4 participants) Admin panel with QA and analytics Programmed alternate phone and VM File sharing, instant messaging, chat rooms Directory listing International numbers Hot desking Secure VoIP service |
| Features (paid) | Voicemail to mail Voicemail transcribing Voicemail pre-recorded greeting | Voicemail to mail Voicemail transcribing Voicemail pre-recorded greeting Multi-level IVR |
| Integration | Android, iOS, and Web 3 app integrations, mostly for mobile usage. | Android, iOS, Windows, and Web 53 app integrations including full G suite support, free Microsoft products, Google, Box, Okta, Oracle service cloud, ServiceNow, and Dropbox integration for all devices. Paid integration for Salesforce, Desk.com and Zendesk. |
| Customer support | 24/7 USA based support – for all tiers. | 8am – 9 pm support , non-US based support for single-line users. |
Related RingCentral Comparisons
RingCentral vs Vonage Business
RingCentral vs Google Voice Business
Related Grasshopper Phone Comparisons
Grasshopper vs Google Voice Business
Vonage Business vs Grasshopper
Verdict of Grasshopper vs RingCentral
Grasshopper gives a fair account of themselves in terms of the low prices and tending to business needs of less than 500 minutes. However, the things which keep their prices low, are also the ones which impede their scalability. For small businesses or solo entrepreneurs who don’t need more than 500 minutes, but need a service to put up a professional face, Grasshopper is apt, but less minutes offered may not work for bigger players – especially when RingCentral offers unlimited North American call time. Similarly, being a PSTN overlay instead of true VoIP service, Grasshopper doesn’t leverage the IP faxing , and instead relies on public network relaying. So they would always be incurring additional costs for outbound calls, and can’t support outbound faxing at all. And this is all before RingCentral flexes it’s app integration muscle, a much more comprehensive support help.
Grasshopper’s basic suites , being primarily a standalone phone replacement, are definitely more intuitive and have no hardware overhead. They also score a win on offering true mobility at a very affordable price tag. Both of these however, might only be relevant for really small business sizes, and those requiring mobile-focus only. Once the business grows, the lack of minutes, app integration, hidden costs of adding true 1-800 toll-free numbers, number porting, outbound faxing limitations, and support options mean that the company would need to look elsewhere and potentially consider 8×8 or Vonage Business though a careful comparison is suggested for both. All-in-all this means RingCentral gets our nod in the larger scheme of things.